Evening all
Am seriously flirting with the idea of a hardcore hardtail in the 650b mode. The Identiti AKA seems very attractive and reviews well in the one review I can find (Bikemagic). Anyone got any thoughts on this, the fact that I can pick up a frame for under £300 is a bonus, but it needs to be a good bike.
I live in the NW and do quite a lot of natural stuff in the Peaks (assuming DCC haven't destroyed it all) and the Lakes as well as trail centre reds and blacks.
Any thoughts much appreciated!
Cheers
I had a Mr Hyde (the AKAs predecessor) and it was a great bike. A bit harsh maybe, but solid and well made.
I replaced it with a Dialled Alpine, but I still miss the old beast.
eesh, if it's anything like the mr hyde, avoid! zero bb drop, horrible at speed.
A friend of mine has one and seems to like it, looks very nicely made too. He swapped a carbon on-one 456 for it and hasn't regretted it.
Had a spin on a well specced one ages ago and they rode really well. Quite a stiff ride but burly and handled really well.
Tom KP
Thanks guys, really appreciate the input. Been ragging around recently on my Sanderson and really enjoying the hardtail experience, but being 6'4" want something with bigger wheels (so not so perched above the wheels) and also with slacker angles and more travel for bombing down things!
Was looking at 29ers and would have pushed the button on the £200 Singular Buzzard deal, but they are sold out of the large size. Also liked the look of the Kinesis FF29, but in truth I would have needed to shell out for new wheels/forks whereas with this I can transfer wheels and forks from the 650b FS for the winter.
Anyway, long story short, the button has been pushed and the frame should be with me in a day or so. I'll initially be building it up with pretty mediocre parts from the FS, but will post here and let people know how it rides if anyone is interested!
Cheers
Identiti AKA initial review.
Well, I've had her now for a week or so. Done two rides, one pootle around local, gentle XC type trails, one wet, steep and rocky bash around Calderdale on Sunday.
She is built up to be light. 1x10 (Raceface Deus and 12-36 SLX cassette) with SLX Shadow+ derailleur and Zee shifters. Carbon Raceface bar, Thomson post/stem, Magura Marta brakes (light, but a bit unsure about these, seem a tad squidgy) and Tesla/Pacenti TL28 wheels (ridiculously light and - so far - not made from cheese) shod in Trail King 2.4 up front and Mountain King 2.2 in back, make up the build.
So far I'm loving her. She's stiff and taught and seems to be very well made. Whilst she is certainly low slung - and despite being ridden down some very steep and rocky trails in Calderdale on Sunday - I have had no issues with either pedal strikes or BB scrapes. On top of this she handles well, getting the front wheel up and over obstacles (even on steep inclines) is a doddle and the 68degree head angle gives just the right amount of descending confidence without really affecting the climbing capacity.
My criteria was a light and capable bike that could take 140mm forks and deal with the type of terrain that I like to ride (as well as take 650b wheels). So far, so good. everything I have seen from this bike tells me that she will be my go-to bike for some time to come!